Cash ban as gambling card to overhaul $6b pokie industry in NSW – Sydney Morning Herald

NSW's 95,000 poker machines bring in $1 billion in state taxes each year and create as many as 100,000 jobs, including in sophisticated gaming machine manufacture.

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But poker machine expenditure is increasing and spiked during the pandemic, rising by more than $200 million or 12 per cent between June and August, compared to the same period last year, government figures show.

Mr Dominello last week released draft harm minimisation legislation for public consultation, which suggested facial recognition technology could be used to identify problem gamblers.

The gambling card was not included in the draft bill, but Mr Dominello has been consulting widely with his colleagues and MPs from all parties to shore up support for it.

Pubs and clubs have slammed the draft legislation released last week, warning measures such as facial recognition would cost the industry millions at a time when it can least afford it.

"Gaming revenue has fallen 14 per cent year-on-year as a result of the 10-week industry shutdown, while food and beverage takings are down 60 to 70 per cent," Clubs NSW chief Josh Landis said.

"I dont think anyone would agree that the middle of a pandemic is the right time to introduce onerous new compliance requirements."

The NSW Australian Hotels Association has also warned that pubs were already struggling to survive amid the pandemic and could not cope with expensive regulation.

"We dont believe our patrons want to be monitored through facial recognition each and every time they catch up with mates at the pub," AHA boss John Whelan said last week.

NSW relies on an industry-run self-exclusion scheme, which involves individuals signing a deed asking to be banned from one or more gaming machine venues.

But there are no sanctions for an individual or venue for breaching a banning order, and last year's NSW Gambling Survey showed that 92 per cent of excluded gamblers were successful in regaining entry to a venue.

The harm minimisation changes also propose a new exclusion scheme to allow family members to ask pubs and clubs to ban someone whose problem gambling is harming themselves or others.

Mr Dominello said NSW had the unenviable title of the "poker machine capital of Australia" and he was determined to use technology to bring the $6 billion gaming machine industry into the 21st century.

He said pubs and clubs played an important role in the community and were a "modern meeting place" that provided social support in the form of grants and donations.

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"As a member of the taskforce to open up the NSW economy, I strongly advocated for an earlier opening of pubs and clubs as they provide employment for thousands of people," Mr Dominello said.

"While I understand their concerns, I vehemently disagree with their conclusion that we should just walk away from this reform or kick it down the road because it is all too hard.

"COVID has shown us how businesses can quickly adapt their practices when confronted with new realities like social distancing or the need for QR Codes to assist contact tracing.

"Pokie machine addiction is an old reality, and we have the technological solution to help which is what we must do when someone asks for it because its destroying their life."

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Alexandra Smith is the State Political Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Cash ban as gambling card to overhaul $6b pokie industry in NSW - Sydney Morning Herald